Alberta educators propose a $1.7B wage grid as the province holds its course

The Association of Early Childhood Educators of Alberta has released a revised provincial wage scale, its second attempt in three years to move Alberta away from topping up employer-paid wages. The grid ties pay to certification level and rises across seven experience steps, with separate rates for supervisors and directors.

Under the current structure a Level 1 educator averages $20.21 an hour, including a $2.64 government top-up, which sits below the living wage in most of the province. AECEA estimates the scale would cost roughly $1.7 billion a year, a 20 to 25 per cent increase. Alberta and Ontario are now the only jurisdictions in the country without a wage grid.

The Education and Childcare Minister’s office told CBC there is more than one way to address recruitment and retention, pointing to workforce growth from 18,100 to 34,300 educators between November 2021 and March 2026. For Alberta operators, the gap between those two positions is the recruitment and retention conversation for the year ahead.

Source: CBC NEWS – Alberta’s early childhood educators propose new wage grid tied to education, experience